January Cycling courses

Good day and Happy New Year, Gung Hei Fat Choi.

I am sorry that I haven’t kept up with my saying that I was going to post twice a month.  Jan 2014 has been busy for me in regards to taking cycling classes/courses, not giving them.  I firmly believe that we as Instructors must keep current and know what is happening. So that is what I have been doing.

So far this month I have completed

The National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Learning Facilitator training for

                 Let’s Ride!  Community Cycling Initiation stream

                 Ready to Race, Introduction to Competition stream

I am now “Trained” as a Learning facilitator for the Let’s Ride Stream and “In-Training” for the Ready to Race, Intro to Comp stream. Once I co-facilitate two courses in the Community stream I will then be certified to facilitate in that stream.

I know that sounds like a mouthful, and it is, but these are two district streams in the NCCP system. Both are excellent and if you are interested then by all means make contact with your Provincial cycling office and ask about them.

I successfully completed the League of American Cyclists Traffic Safety 101 (TS101) course.

This week-end I’ll be taking and expect to successfully complete the League of American Cyclists Instructors (LCI) course.  Once I facilitate one course, in the US, then I can be certified there also.

The NCCP training was through Cycling BC in Vancouver BC and the LCI courses was through the Cascade Cycling Club in Seattle Washington USA.

A tip of the cycling helmet to both groups to facilitate these training courses.  In the case of Cycling BC, they brought the Master Learning Facilitator in from Winnipeg Manitoba for that week-end. The TS101 was led by two gentlemen from Seattle. The Seattle LCI Instructors course Instructor is being brought in from Eugene Oregon.

Three January week-ends, three cycling courses.  When you add working and travelling to the mix it has been busy.  This is why I haven’t had much time to post.

Please note, I am not complaining, quite to contrary, I have been expanding my knowledge and seeing how other sections and cycling groups do things.

I have mentioned previously that cycling is a life skill, and a life time skill, so taking more courses/classes is part of that lifelong learning.

I have already noticed areas where we as the non-competitive cycling community can do things better. In turn I can see where the non-competitive  community can assist with cycling safety and knowledge with the competitive community.  I have also seen aspects that are similar and could be changed from the League of American community and CAN-BIKE.

I will be making comment on the similarities and differences once I complete this week-end in Seattle. Please don’t take that as anything other than what I see, and I am not making judgments on programs.  I can see where CAN-BIKE came from and how both systems have grown from the seeds planted by John FORESTER. FORESTER was a visionary that much is obvious to me.

I may have mentioned previously that I also sit with two others on the CAN-BIKE national curriculum committee. This training is also assisting with the work of the committee.  As a matter of fact aspects of the NCCP streams were brought forward to the table to show a way to make training safer for the CAN-BIKE side.  So, the newest training is already showing positives. The cross training in teaching techniques and knowledge will show more dividends, of that I am absolutely certain.

One of the benefits of knowing we were going to be riding in Seattle and our cycling ability being assessed was the fact to get the road bike/wind trainer back out and going.  I could see others on the TS101 course that hadn't done that and were powering out on the way back to the Cascade office, so I know that I did the right thing by preparing.

The 2014 CAN-BIKE calendar is already getting spaces filled, and that is a very good thing.

Will have more to add once this week-end in Seattle is done. I’m looking forward to it.